Warning! Spoilers ahead for Devil's Reign: Moon Knight #1
In a new one-shot issue for Marvel Comics' Moon Knight just proved he's at his best when he's an outsider, set apart from the rest of Marvel's heroes. While Marc Spector was one of the first heroes to be arrested due to Mayor Wilson Fisk's new legislation outlawing superheroes and vigilantes, a major twist reveals that Moon Knight has been playing his own game the whole time, caring very little about his fellow heroes' war with New York's corrupt mayor. Likewise, past failures where Moon Knight has been part of teams and the greater Marvel Universe help prove Moon Knight is better when he's on his own.
The recent Avengers: Age of Khonshu arc saw Moon Knight's god being confirmed as very real to the Earth's Mightiest Heroes and not a figment of Marc Spector's warped mind. While Moon Knight stole the primordial powers of the Avengers for Khonshu to use against the demon lord Mephisto, he eventually resisted his god and the powers were returned. That being said, the version of Moon Knight featured against the Avengers felt like a watered-down version of Spector when compared to previous depictions in his own series. Likewise, the destruction of the moon in the current Reckoning War saw Moon Knight beside himself until Reed Richard gave him a comically brief pep talk. Essentially, recent attempts to have Moon Knight featured alongside the rest of Marvel's heroes have fallen flat, and it seemed as though the Devil's Reign event was going to go the same way with Marc being the first hero arrested in the main series' first issue.
However, Devil's Reign: Moon Knight #1 from Jed MacKay and Federico Sabbatini features the major twist that Moon Knight wanted to be arrested. Working his own mission, Moon Knight allowed himself to be captured to get close to Man Mountain Marko, an inmate favored by the corrupt guards whose ex-wife feared what would happen to her and their 12-year old daughter when he was released. Offering his help, Marc got himself arrested so he could get access inside the prison and enter the secret fighting ring, dethroning Marko as the champion. Spector savagely beats Marko, warning the inmate to stay away from his ex-wife and daughter lest he face the Moon Knight's wrath. To hammer the point home that Marc is at his best when he's doing his own thing, the issue actually begins with a confirmation to his cellmate that Spector doesn't belong with the other heroes who've also been arrested.
Moon Knight is a brutal vigilante who rarely pulls his punches. He's much closer to The Punisher in his desire for vengeance and his methods than he is to the heroics of Spider-Man. As such, Spector should be just as removed from teams and Avengers events as Frank Castle is. Portrayals of Moon Knight rarely give him justice when he's forced to become more palatable for a wider audience picking up an Avengers comic or event title.
What makes this one-shot issue so good is that Moon Knight is taking advantage of an event to do his own thing, receiving very little notice from his fellow heroes. While he may wear white, Marc Spector is one of Marvel's darkest heroes, doing his best work when he's on his own. Both canonically and metatextually, Moon Knight is better off as an outsider who rarely needs to interact with other heroes in the Marvel Universe.
